OET Sample Discharge Letter for the Writing Sub-test

OET letter writing is categorised in 3 types mainly. These are

Referral
Discharge
Transfer

It’s important to note that regardless of the type of letter, the approach to writing an OET letter is the same.

Given below is the composition of a sample discharge letter based on Official OET Case notes.

Follow the 33 tips given in the sample, and you will find that securing A or B for OET writing sub-test is much easier than thought.

OET Case Notes for Discharge Letter (Nursing)
Date, Recipient’s Address, Greeting and Re: Line
Introduction – Patient, Medical Issue & the Purpose
Body Paragraph 1 – Medical Reasons for Admission
Body Paragraph 2 – Nursing Management (during hospitalization)
Body Paragraph 3 – Latest information about the patient
Conclusion – Expected care/action by the reader
Closing Sentence – Not Included in Word Count
Complimentary Close – Yours…
Mock Test – Test Your Writing Skills
Final Sample Letter
Quiz – Check Your Knowledge

The following scenario involves a patient who is being discharged back to the retirement home where he resides.

OET Case Notes (SOURCE)
Discharge Letter (Nursing)

Occupational English Test

WRITING SUB-TEST:

NURSING

TIME ALLOWED:

READING TIME: 5 MINUTES WRITING TIME: 40 MINUTES

Read the case notes and complete the writing task which follows.

Notes:

Assume that today's date is 10 February 2019

Mr Lionel Ramamurthy, a 63-year-old, is a patient in the medical ward of which you are Charge Nurse.

Hospital:

Newtown Public Hospital, 41 Main Street, Newtown

PATIENT DETAILS:

Name:

Lionel Ramamurthy (Mr)

Marital status:

Widowed – spouse dec. 6 mths

Residence:

Community Retirement Home, Newtown

Next of kin:

Jake, engineer (37, married, 3 children <10) Sean, teacher (30, married, working overseas, 1 infant)

Admission date:

04 Feb 2019

Discharge date:

11 Feb 2019

Diagnosis:

Pneumonia

Past medical history:

Osteoarthritis (mainly fingers) – Voltaren (diclofenac) Eyesight ↓ due to cataracts removed 16 mths ago – needs check-up

Social background:

Retired school teacher (history, maths). Financially independent.
Lonely since wife died. Weight loss approx. 4 kg in 6 months – associated with poor diet.

Medical history:

2007: Type 2 diabetes diagnosed (controlled by diet) 04 Mar 2018 Chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease (COPD) diagnosed

Medical background:

Admitted with pneumonia – acute shortness of breath (SOB),
inspiratory and expiratory wheezing, persistent cough ( → chest & abdominal pain), fever,
rigors, sleeplessness, generalised ache. On admission – mobilising with pick-up
frame, assist with ADLs (e.g., showering, dressing, etc.), very weak, ambulating only
short distances with increasing shortness of breath
on exertion (SOBOE).

Medical progress:

Afebrile. Inflammatory markers back to normal. Slow but independent walk & shower/toilet. Dry cough, some chest & abdom. pain. Weight gain (1.5kg) post r/v by dietitian.

Nursing management:

Encourage oral fluids, proper nutrition. Ambulant as per physio r/v Encourage chest physio (deep breathing & coughing exercises). Sitting preferred to lying down to ensure postural drainage.

Assessment:

Good progress overall

Discharge plan:

Paracetamol if necessary for chest/abdom. pain. Keep warm. Good nutrition – ↑ fluids, eggs, fruit, veg (needs help monitoring diet).

Writing Task:

Using the information given in the case notes, write a discharge letter to Ms Georgine Ponsford, Resident Community Nurse at the Community Retirement Home, 103 Light Street, Newtown. This letter will accompany Mr Ramamurthy back to the retirement home upon his discharge tomorrow.

In your answer:

● Expand the relevant notes into complete sentences

● Do not use note form

● Use letter format

The body of the letter should be approximately 180–200 words.

Summary of the case notes:

The patient resides in a retirement home.
He received treatment for pneumonia.
He is being discharged back to the same facility.
The letter is addressed to the resident community nurse at the retirement home. Therefore, the reader already knows the patient.

Date, Recipient’s Address, Greeting and Re: Line

Date (Given in the case notes as ‘Assume that today’s date is …’)

Recipient’s Name
Designation/Job title
Address

Greeting (Dear ……. )

Reference line (Re: the patient’s full name & age)

Tip 1: ‘20 January 2022’ is the preferred date format at the start.

Tip 2: dd/mm/yyyy is the preferred date format in in the reference line and paragraphs. (Avoid switching date formats in the reference line and paragraphs.)

Tip 3: Interchanging the order of Date & Recipient’s Details is acceptable.

Tip 4: Interchanging the order of Greeting & Reference Line is acceptable.

Tip 5: If the DOB of the recipient is not given in the case notes, write age in the reference line. (You may use aged 63, aged 63 years, 63 years old or 63 years of age)

Tip 6: Watch the spelling. If you are using British/American spelling, be consistent in the letter. Avoid mixing the styles.

Ms Georgine Ponsford
Resident Community Nurse
Community Retirement Home
103 Light Street
Newtown

10 February 2019

Dear Ms Ponsford,

Re: Mr Lionel Ramamurthy, aged 63

Now, let us take a stepwise approach to composing each paragraph.

Introduction
Patient, Medical Issue & Purpose

The purpose of the letter should be immediately apparent to the reader; therefore, it is discussed in the introduction paragraph.

Writing ‘introduction’ of a referral OET letter is similar to other types of letters such as a referral or a letter.

It covers the full name of the patient, introduces the medical complaint and generally discusses the reason(s) for writing the letter.

Tip 7: Refer ‘Notes’, ’22 Jan 2019’ and ‘Writing Task’ given at the start and end of the case notes respectively to identify the purpose.

Tip 8: Keep in mind that excluding the purpose would affect your score negatively.

Tip 9: You may use the key word ‘discharge’ to indicate the purpose as you are discharging the patient to back his residential location.

Tip 10: Keep the introduction succinct to make the purpose immediately apparent to the reader.

TIP 11: Avoid secondary information/details that may obscure the objective of introduction.

Tip 12: Write full name with title at the first occurrence in the introduction as the patient is an adult. (Adult – aged above 16)

Tip 13: Please note, ‘Writing Task’ says the patient is being discharged ‘tomorrow’. Date of discharge is also given as ‘11 Feb 2019.’

Tip 14: Avoid using ‘a/the/this/my patient’ to refer to the patient in the letter as it is considered less polite.

Introduce the patient: Refer PATIENT DETAILS and WRITING TASK.

PATIENT DETAILS:
Name: Lionel Ramamurthy (Mr)
Admission date: 04 Feb 2019
Discharge date: 11 Feb 2019
Diagnosis: Pneumonia

Medical Complaint: Refer Treatment Record

Diagnosis: Pneumonia

Reason for writing the letter: Refer Writing Task.

… back to the retirement home upon his discharge tomorrow

The introduction of your OET letter is now

I am writing regarding Mr Lionel Ramamurthy, who was admitted on 04/02/2019 due to pneumonia. He is being discharged back into your care tomorrow.

Body Paragraph 1
Medical Reasons for Admission

Refer ‘Medical Background’

Tip 15: Identify relevant information/details: The presenting condition of the patient is relevant in this letter as the progress is related that. Select the most relevant/obvious information.

Medical background:

Admitted with pneumonia – acute shortness of breath (SOB), inspiratory and expiratory wheezing, persistent cough (–>chest & abdominal pain), fever, rigors, sleeplessness, generalised ache. On admission – mobilising with pick-up frame, assist with ADLs

(e.g., showering, dressing, etc.), very weak, ambulating only short distances with increasing

shortness of breath on exertion (SOBOE).

Tip 16: Avoid Irrelevant information: Please remember, the reader knows the patient and his background well. Therefore, the following can be excluded.

Marital Status
Residence
Next of kin
Past medical history
Social background
Medical history

Tip 17: Avoid short forms; it is less formal.

Tip 18: Avoid using pronouns to refer to the patient at the first occurrence in a paragraph. Use last name (surname) with appropriate title when referring to the (adult – aged above 16) patient initially in a body paragraph.

Tip 19: Verb tense: Past tense is used here as the patient’s condition at the time of admission is discussed.

Let’s compile relevant information and compose the body paragraph 1 as follows.

On admission, Mr Ramamurthy had fever, severe shortness of breath, wheezing and chest and abdominal pain due to persistent cough. He was mobilising with a pick-up frame and required assistance with ADLs. He appeared weak and could walk only short distances that led to worsening of SOB.

Body Paragraph 2
Nursing Management (during hospitalization)

Refer ‘Nursing management’.

Tip 20: Verb tense: Past tense is used here as the patient already received the care mentioned.

Let’s compile relevant information and compose the body paragraph 2 as follows.

During hospitalization, Mr Ramamurthy was encouraged to have proper nutrition, including oral fluids, and to ambulate as per physiotherapist’s review. Chest physiotherapy, including deep breathing and coughing exercises, were initiated. He was maintained in a sitting position more than lying to ensure postural drainage.

Body Paragraph 3
Latest information about the Patient

Refer ‘Assessment’ and ‘Medical progress’.

Tip 21: Verb tense: Present tense is used here as it is the patient’s condition, in which he is returning to the facility.

Tip 22: Use ‘currently’ as no specific date is given in the case notes.

This paragraph can be written as below.

Currently, Mr Ramamurthy has made good progress with normal inflammatory markers and has gained weight by 1.5kg after a dietitian review. However, he is slow but can perform ADLs independently. He still has slight chest and abdominal pain.

Conclusion
Expected Care/Action by the Reader

After briefing the reader on the patient’s presenting complaints, treatment provided and the condition of discharge, conclude the letter explaining the purpose of the letter (what exactly is expected from the reader after the patient returns to the retirement home).

Refer ‘Discharge plan’.

Tip 23: Give an introductory phrase to link the conclusion to the patient’s complaints and past medical history.

Tip 24: Make sure the tone used is polite and formal.

Tip 25: Avoid capitalizing generic drug name(s). (If you are using brand names, capitalize accordingly.)
0
Tip 26: Avoid short forms.

Closing Sentence
Not included in Word Count

Tip 27: You can be relieved that the closing sentence is not considered for ‘word count’. However, remember not writing closing sentence may affect your score negatively.

Tip 28: A typical polite closing sentence can be written as the addressee can get back to the writer if he needs more information about the patient.

Tip 29: Avoid being overpolite.

Tip 30: Avoid including informal words and phrases.

For example, feel free to, ask me, call me.

A closing sentence can be written as given below.

If you have any queries, please contact me.

Complementary Close
Yours…..

Tip 31: Use appropriate salutations in the letter.

Yours sincerely (If the name of the recipient is given.)

Yours faithfully (If the name of the recipient is NOT given.)

Tip 32: Write the name of the profession/designation indicated in the case notes. You may give the name of the hospital or organization if given (optional).

Tip 33: Leave a single blank space between all sections.

In this case, the name of the reader is given. Therefore,

Yours sincerely,
Nurse

Let’s take a Mock Test and find out how much

Mock Test
Test Your Writing Skills

Ms Georgine Ponsford
Resident Community Nurse
Community Retirement Home
103 Light Street
Newtown

10 February 2019

Dear Ms Ponsford,

Re: Mr Lionel Ramamurthy, aged 63

I am writing regarding Mr Lionel Ramamurthy, who was admitted on 04/02/2019 due to . He is being discharged back into your care .

On admission, Mr Ramamurthy had fever, severe shortness of breath, wheezing and chest and abdominal pain due to persistent cough. He was mobilising with a frame and required assistance with ADLs. He appeared weak and could walk only short distances that led to worsening of SOB.

During hospitalization, Mr Ramamurthy was encouraged to have proper nutrition, including oral fluids, and to ambulate as per physiotherapist’s . Chest physiotherapy, including deep breathing and coughing exercises, were initiated. He was maintained in a sitting position more than lying to ensure postural drainage.

Currently, Mr Ramamurthy has made good progress with normal inflammatory markers and has gained weight by 1.5kg after a dietitian review. However, he is slow but can perform ADLs independently. He still has slight chest and abdominal pain.

In your care, it would be appreciated if you could provide Mr Ramamurthy with good nutrition, including oral fluids, eggs, fruits and vegetables, and monitor his diet. Please keep him warm and administer for chest and abdominal pain.

If you have any queries, .

Yours ,
Nurse

/ 7

Final Sample Letter

Ms Georgine Ponsford
Resident Community Nurse
Community Retirement Home
103 Light Street
Newtown

10 February 2019

Dear Ms Ponsford,

Re: Mr Lionel Ramamurthy, aged 63

I am writing regarding Mr Lionel Ramamurthy, who was admitted on 04/02/2019 due to pneumonia. He is being discharged back into your care tomorrow.

On admission, Mr Ramamurthy had fever, severe shortness of breath, wheezing and chest and abdominal pain due to persistent cough. He was mobilising with a pick-up frame and required assistance with ADLs. He appeared weak and could walk only short distances that led to worsening of SOB.

During hospitalization, Mr Ramamurthy was encouraged to have proper nutrition, including oral fluids, and to ambulate as per physiotherapist’s review. Chest physiotherapy, including deep breathing and coughing exercises, were initiated. He was maintained in a sitting position more than lying to ensure postural drainage.

If you have any queries, please contact me.

Yours sincerely,
Nurse

Check Your Knowledge

Start

Free OET Materials

1. OET Materials for Nurses

2. OET Materials For Doctors

3. OET Materials For Physiotherapy

OET Case Notes: Selection, Organisation & Sentence Formation

OET Exam Remarking Essential Video Guide

OET Score Calculator Guide – Check Your Grade

OET Speaking Test Role Play Cards

OET Test Dates 2025 – Book Your OET Today!

OET Test Results FAQs | Know Everything About OET Exam Results

31 thoughts on “Discharge Letter Writing Guide for OET Candidates”

Sajid Iqbal says:
December 20, 2019 at 7:15 am
I appreciate the email.its alot interesting to learn from it.
Reply
Monica Kadinha says:
January 18, 2020 at 3:04 pm
I appreciate the sample OET Letters,and would like to learn more.
Reply
1. Benchmark Support Team says:
  January 19, 2020 at 9:43 pm
  Here is another one: OET Sample Referral Letter
  Also, to improve your writing skills further, you may use our OET Writing Correction Service
  Reply
kristine says:
March 19, 2020 at 1:54 pm
pls provide me more oet writing for nurses. thank you so much
Reply
1. Benchmark Support Team says:
  March 23, 2020 at 3:22 am
  OET Sample Referral Letter
  Reply
syed mujahid says:
March 30, 2020 at 1:12 pm
thanks …i learned a lot from above letter.
Reply
1. Benchmark Support Team says:
  March 31, 2020 at 12:27 am
  Here is another useful one: OET Sample Referral Letter
  Reply
2. Principle Mafu says:
  April 9, 2021 at 3:13 pm
  This is informative and l have been helped. Thank you doctor
  Reply
Rejitha says:
June 8, 2020 at 8:21 am
Please provide referral letter for social worker
Reply
Ukwatar Edith chiadikwe says:
June 24, 2020 at 11:01 pm
This is fantastic but does it mean that it is only Doctor will be asked to write a discharged letter? Thank you
Reply
1. Benchmark Support Team says:
  June 30, 2020 at 5:18 am
  That’s not necessary. Even nurses can write discharge letters.
  Reply
Big_Doc_Energy says:
July 28, 2020 at 9:32 pm
Is repeating ”Your further pulmonary rehabilitation sessions would be ….” again in the conclusion considered redundancy , as it is already stated in the introduction ??
Thank your for that amazing letter though. I would like to know if there is something like that for other OET letter types.
Reply
1. Benchmark Support Team says:
  October 26, 2020 at 2:50 am
  Yes, in a way it is but if it helps reach 180 words, then it’s not a bad idea to do so.
  Reply
faraaz says:
August 2, 2020 at 2:09 pm
When re-writing case notes, I understand you’re expected to use your own words, but if you’re unsure of a word (e.g. white patches = dense white shadow), should you risk using the word? Or stick to what is written in the case notes?
Also, I noticed ibuprofen, sputum and iv antibiotic notes were omitted. Do you risk marks for accuracy, or gain marks for conciseness in doing so?
Any help is much appreciated, thanks
Reply
1. Benchmark Support Team says:
  October 26, 2020 at 2:48 am
  No, there wont’ be a penalty for writing the medical terms/conditions as given in the case notes. You could write about ibuprofen (we missed in the sample letter), while IV information is provided.
  Reply
Muhammad jawad iqbal says:
August 11, 2020 at 12:18 pm
I learned a lot from your discharge letter thank you benchmark
Reply
shahzad anjm says:
October 24, 2020 at 7:32 am
i want to buy letter writing correction for oet
Reply
1. Benchmark Support Team says:
  October 24, 2020 at 10:11 am
  To get your letters checked, simply visit this link and buy a package from the table
  Soon after the purchase, you will receive an email with Letter Submission Instructions. All you need to do is follow those instructions and submit your letters for correction to students.benchmark@gmail.com.
  Reply
Dr. Taiba says:
November 4, 2020 at 1:44 pm
To arrange the leeter for a coherent information like for the pain history and its recovery in subsequent visits, will i have to write examination findings in each visit? Or i can ommit that part for coherence.
Reply
yann says:
December 15, 2020 at 10:12 pm
Thank you so much for the great job you are doing, I was not able to writing a discharge letter and I learn a lot from it
Reply
Kay says:
January 5, 2021 at 6:59 am
Hi, good sharing. Just a question, the writing question will be given based based on what profession you are or is random? Thanks.
Reply
1. Benchmark Support Team says:
  January 5, 2021 at 8:06 am
  based on your occupation.
  Reply
Clisty says:
February 19, 2021 at 8:03 am
Good helpful
Reply
Habiba says:
November 9, 2021 at 11:35 pm
Provide sample case notes fir pharmacist please.
Thank you
Reply
Jasneet Chawla says:
November 20, 2021 at 2:11 pm
I want to know that if I’m a discharge letter, we didn’t mention a further referral to urologist when necessary. How much is this thing penalised ?
Reply
Ireen says:
March 3, 2022 at 5:48 pm
Quite helpful and educating
Reply
Qudratullah sahar says:
September 26, 2024 at 10:18 pm
thanks that was very good and concept clear information for me
Reply
Surjeet Singh says:
December 11, 2024 at 7:01 pm
I need a course for my writing. I have my exam on 11 January 2025. My earlier exam was on 23 November 2024 in which I got 3 B and one C (270) in writing. This time I am resitting in all the four modules . Please suggest a exam ready course for me. I will be very thankful to you.
Reply
1. Benchmark Support Team says:
  December 12, 2024 at 5:24 am
  check out these two offers:
  OET Writing Correction
  OET Course
  Reply
pramodini B Dandekar says:
December 30, 2024 at 3:30 pm
Thank you so much. Very informative sample discharge letter. Really impressive.
I am planning to take my OET in the month of May 2025. Kindly advise when do I take OET pro & mock test? I just started browsing your you tube videos a week ago.
I am afraid if I take early, few tricks & suggestions may be forgotten, by the time my exam date is approached. so I am confused when do I take a course . My weak areas are listening & writing
Reply
1. Benchmark Support Team says:
  December 31, 2024 at 1:17 am
  Hi Pramodini, Thank you for reaching out. The best approach is to take a 2-test OET mock test package with us to find out your existing OET level and the decide on purchasing a course according:
  Reply

Discharge Letter Writing Guide for OET Candidates

Table of Contents

Discharge

Summary of the case notes:

Introduce the patient: Refer PATIENT DETAILS and WRITING TASK.

Medical Complaint: Refer Treatment Record

Reason for writing the letter: Refer Writing Task.

Check Your Knowledge

Free OET Materials

OET

OET PRO & MOCK TESTS

Doctors, Nurses
Physios & Pharmacists

31 thoughts on “Discharge Letter Writing Guide for OET Candidates”

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Discharge Letter Writing Guide for OET Candidates

Table of Contents

Discharge

Summary of the case notes:

Introduce the patient: Refer PATIENT DETAILS and WRITING TASK.

Medical Complaint: Refer Treatment Record

Reason for writing the letter: Refer Writing Task.

Check Your Knowledge

Free OET Materials

OET

OET PRO & MOCK TESTS

Doctors, Nurses Physios & Pharmacists

31 thoughts on “Discharge Letter Writing Guide for OET Candidates”

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Exam Updates & Tips!

Thank you!

Doctors, Nurses
Physios & Pharmacists